Book Reveals New Clues About Infamous Black Dahlia Murder

A new book could put an end to a crime that has haunted Hollywood for years. On January 15, 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short was found cut in half on the sidewalk of a Los Angeles parking lot. The 22-year-old’s body was found cut in half and disfigured. She became known as the Black Dahlia and her murder was never solved. According to People, British author Piu Eatwell has a new book that points to a Hollywood pimp as her killer.

In "Black Dahlia, Red Rose," the author says that Leslie Dillon, an accused pimp is the prime suspect. Dillon apparently had ties to both Hollywood and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). An LAPD psychiatrist apparently shared with media at the time that Dillon knew “more about the Dahlia murder than the police did," including key details about the murder. One such detail was the fact that the killer carved Short's rose tattoo from her thigh.

The story of the Black Dahlia continues to fascinate the public as one of the most mysterious cold cases. The tale of a beautiful young woman moving to Hollywood to pursue her dreams, only to end up brutally murdered, is out of a film noir. In 2006, her story was told in the filmThe Black Dahlia, starring Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson. “Elizabeth Short was emblematic of her times,” James Ellroy, whose book inspired the film, told People. “She came from the East to be a movie star, like many girls of that more innocent era. Then this act of absolute random brutality. She was tortured for days. Rather than dump this girl who wouldn’t be missed in the ocean or bury her, the killer drives around with two halves of a naked body in the trunk and deposits it six inches off the sidewalk in the middle of Los Angeles.”

Dillon was never arrested.

[Photo: File, WW Norton & Company]

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